The National Emergency Management Organisation issued a flood warning for coastal and low-lying communities on Tuesday evening, hours after forecasters upgraded a slow-moving tropical system now tracking toward the southern coast. Officials say the greatest risk is not wind but water, with rainfall totals of eight to twelve inches possible in some districts before the system clears.
“We are asking residents in flood-prone areas to move vehicles to higher ground tonight, not tomorrow morning.”
— NEMO spokesperson
Shelters open ahead of the weekend
Fourteen shelters were activated across three districts on Tuesday night, with capacity for roughly 2,400 people. The Ministry of Education announced that schools in the affected districts will remain closed through Friday, and the highway authority warned that at least two low bridges are likely to become impassable.
Forecasters cautioned that river flooding often peaks a day or more after the rain stops, and that the all-clear on the weather does not mean the all-clear on the water.
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